American Civil Liberties Union

The Racial Justice Program aims to preserve and extend the constitutional rights of people of color. Committed to combating racism in all its forms, our advocacy includes litigation, community organizing and training, legislative initiatives, and public education. >> More about the Racial Justice Program.


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Racial Justice : Education - Schools : Press Releases

ACLU Fights to End Discriminatory Prosecution of Native American Students (03/28/2006)
SIOUX FALLS, SD – The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a class action lawsuit in federal court against the Winner School District in South Dakota, charging that the District maintains an environment hostile to Native Americans by, among other things, disciplining Native American students more harshly than Caucasians and by forcing them to sign “confessions” for minor rule breaking, which often leads to juvenile court convictions.

South Dakota Schools Discriminating Against Native American Students, Charge ACLU and Tribe (06/23/2005)
WASHINGTON -- In a complaint filed today with the U.S. Department of Education on behalf of 14 Native American families, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Attorney General of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe charge that the public school district in Winner, South Dakota discriminates against Native American children in its disciplinary practices and denies these students their right to equal educational opportunities.

California Judge Finalizes Historic Education Settlement in ACLU Lawsuit (03/23/2005)
SAN FRANCISCO - A judge today finalized the historic settlement in a class action education lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations. Advocates say that the lawsuit is a critical first step toward ensuring all California public schools have the means to provide equitable learning conditions for all students.

ACLU and California Officials Reach Settlement in Historic Equal Education Lawsuit (08/13/2004)
LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union and California officials today announced they had reached a settlement agreement in the class action education lawsuit Williams v. California.

Sheff Plaintiffs Return to Court to Declare the State of Connecticut in Violation of Agreement to Reduce Racial, Ethnic and Economic Segregation in Hartford Region Schools (08/03/2004)
HARTFORD, CT - Elizabeth Horton Sheff and a coalition of parents, students and legal experts announced today that they were returning to court to force the state of Connecticut to comply with an historic January 2003 agreement aimed at reducing the racial and ethnic isolation in Hartford public schools.

Michigan School District Takes Action to Stop Racism After Black Student Is Attacked in "KKK Game" (05/19/2004)
DETROIT - As the country focuses on the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark case that ended government-imposed segregation in public schools, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan today announced the settlement of a complaint filed on behalf of an African American student who was the victim of racial harassment and attacked by white students in a so-called "game of KKK."

Michigan Lawsuit Over Race Discrimination in State Scholarship Awards Gains Ground with Court Ruling (11/21/2001)
DETROIT--In a move forward for a civil rights lawsuit challenging Michigan's inappropriate use of a high school assessment test to award college scholarships, a federal judge today rejected the state's attempt to dismiss the case, which was brought by a coalition including the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan. 

Judge Hands Significant Victories to Civil Rights Groups Battling California's Educational Failures (04/11/2001)
SAN FRANCISCO - A California State Superior Court today handed a substantial victory to the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups that are fighting to reform California's failed and inequitable school system in the statewide education lawsuit, Williams v. State of California, filed last May. 

In Class-Action Lawsuit, NYCLU Seeks to Compel State Remedies for "Failing Schools" (03/28/2001)
NEW YORK--In a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of children in 150 schools around the state, the New York Civil Liberties Union today charged officials with failing to provide all students with "a sound basic education," as mandated by the state constitution. 

ACLU Denounces California's Blame-Shifting Strategy in Education Case (12/12/2000)
LOS ANGELES - Seven months after the American Civil Liberties Union sued California for failing to provide an equal and adequate education to thousands of children, the state today filed a lawsuit against the 18 school districts where the ACLU's clients attend school.

Back to School Without Books: Many CA Students Still Lack Textbooks, ACLU Charges (09/12/2000)
LOS ANGELES--Civil rights groups filed legal papers today seeking to require California education officials to ascertain whether public school students have textbooks to use in class and at home in each of their core subjects.

Citing Widespread Complaints, CA Civil Rights Groups Expand Landmark Education Lawsuit (08/15/2000)
SAN FRANCISCO -- Responding to a flood of calls from parents appalled at schools plagued by filthy facilities, vermin and outdated textbooks, a coalition of civil rights groups today named nearly 50 more schools in its landmark education lawsuit.

Civil Rights Groups Sue Over Race Bias in Michigan Merit Scholarship Program (06/27/2000)
DETROIT, MI -- By relying on an inappropriate test to award state college scholarships, Michigan is denying deserving students whose race, ethnicity, and educational disadvantages are factors in lower test scores, a coalition of civil rights organizations charged today in a federal lawsuit.

ACLU and Rights Groups Suing CA Education Officials Launch Hotline for Parents, Teachers & Students (06/20/2000)
LOS ANGELES -- Civil rights groups who filed the landmark California education lawsuit today announced a statewide toll-free hotline for parents, teachers, and students whose schools have failed to offer the bare minimum conditions for successful learning, ranging from a lack of textbooks, to untrained teachers, to filthy, run-down buildings.

Landmark Lawsuit on Behalf of Public School Students Demands Basic Education Rights Promised in State Constitution (05/17/2000)
LOS ANGELES--Acting on behalf of nearly 70 students in the California public schools, a coalition of civil rights groups today filed the most comprehensive lawsuit to date concerning the bare minimums required for education ever to be brought against a state.

In Groundbreaking Settlement, California Must Guarantee Equal Education for All (03/21/2000)
LOS ANGELES -- Under the settlement terms of a groundbreaking lawsuit, students lacking books, restroom facilities and even teachers will now be guaranteed the right to an equal education opportunity under the state constitution, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California said today.

ACLU Says Kentucky's 1975 School Desegregation Decree Should Not Be Set Aside (09/13/1999)
LOUISVILLE, KY -- Responding to a court challenge to a 1975 school desegregation order, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky today said that the order should not be set aside because the promise of equal education has not yet been fully realized.

In Class-Action Lawsuit, ACLU Says CA Students Are Denied Equal Access to Advanced Placement Courses (07/27/1999)
LOS ANGELES -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California today filed a civil rights class-action lawsuit in State Superior Court on behalf of public high school students who are being denied access to advanced placement courses.

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